Skills, confidence, and experiences I never expected: My Government Communications apprenticeship story
Ellen Holmes shares how the Government Communications Apprenticeship at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) transformed her confidence, developed her skills, and led to a permanent communications role.
When I joined the Government Communications Advance Apprenticeship programme in November 2024, I had no idea just how transformative the experience would be. Starting fresh at 29 was a scary thought, but taking the plunge was worth it.
My first placement: Internal Campaigns
My journey began in the HMRC Internal Campaigns team, where I led and delivered the ‘20 Years of HMRC’ campaign only a few months into my apprenticeship. This involved creating a full OASIS plan, collaborating with internal stakeholders to produce an organisation-wide celebratory and reflective piece of work.
I created a digital time capsule where colleagues could share their memories, stories and photographs from their time at HMRC. I received a HMRC Apprenticeship commendation for this campaign – a proud moment so early in my communications journey.
Alongside campaign delivery, I developed strong skills in video production, from storyboarding to interviewing colleagues and providing voiceover work. I also gained experience writing on behalf of senior civil servants and working closely with teams including Communications Business Partners, Press Office and Creative Services to make sure campaigns were accurate, impactful and aligned with organisational priorities.
Tracking campaign metrics using the Government Communications Evaluation Cycle gave me a solid understanding of what worked, what did not, and where improvements could be made. I then embedded these lessons into my next campaign.
My second placement: Digital Channel Shift
In November 2025, I moved to the Digital Channel Shift Communications team, where my apprenticeship experience enabled me to quickly take on new responsibilities to promote the HMRC app.
I led the planning and delivery of Pension Awareness Week 2025, working with internal and external stakeholders, providing copy for external publications and producing social media assets that achieved over 13,000 impressions.
I later delivered the Talk Money Week 2025 mini-campaign, which reached a national audience across 27 radio broadcasts.
Securing a permanent role
A few months into my placement with Digital Channel Shift, a Higher Executive Officer Communications Manager role became available. Thanks to the breadth of experience, exposure, and development that HMRC provided throughout my apprenticeship, I was successful in securing the role. I could not have done this without the experience I gained during my apprenticeship.
Everyone I’ve worked with has been supportive, not just on a personal level, but they have genuinely cared about my professional development and brought me into projects that have expanded my communications experience. For example, I am currently working on the HMRC Digitising Post Programme communications, which involves working with an external creative agency to produce an animation to use across our owned channels.
My advice for future apprentices
My apprenticeship has shown me that HMRC is truly committed to helping colleagues develop at all stages of their careers.
The apprenticeship programme has given me skills, confidence, and experiences I never expected, and I would encourage anyone considering an apprenticeship to take that step.
Seize every opportunity available to you. You will gain a wealth of experience in areas of communications you never even knew existed.